Animated toy



Aug. 9, 1960 G. B. STARR ANIMATEI? TOY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 28. 1958 INVENTOR.

George B. Sfarr Aug. 9, 1960 G. B. STARR 2,948,031

' ANIMATED TOY Filed Oct. 28, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

George B. Sfarr United States Patent ANIMATED TOY 7 George B. Starr, P.O. Box 8265, Honolulu 15, Hawaii Filed Oct. 28, 1958, Ser. No. 770,180

1 Claim. (Cl. 46-92) This invention relates to improvements in toys.

' The principal object of this invention is to provide an animated toy representing one or more paddlers going through the motions of paddling a canoe of the outrigger type.

A further object is to produce a toy of this character which is neat in appearance, one which will appeal to persons contemplating the purchase of such a toy, and a toy which can be manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numbers are employed to designate like part throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my toy;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the power unit;

Fig. 3 is a top perspective view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 looking from left to right and showing details not shown in Figs. 2 and 3;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3 looking from the bottom toward the top of the figure; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of my complete toy.

It is a well known fact that any toy which stimulates the movements of a human being is attractive. I have therefore devised a toy wherein one or more figurines go through movements simulating the paddling as for instance of an outrigger canoe.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a mobile member such as the body of a canoe having a hollow portion 6 in which is positioned a unit comprising side pieces 7 and 8 joined by cross-pieces 9 and 11, which serve to secure the unit to the body 5 of the canoe and mount the outrigger R thereon.

The side pieces 7 and 8 serve to rotatably position spaced shafts 12 and 13 between which is mounted a driving unit comprising worm gears 14 and 15 driven by a motor 16 energized by a battery 17.

The gear 14 serves to drive cranks 18 and 19 disposed at an angle of approximately 112 degrees one to the other. To the crank 18 are attached connecting links 21 and 22 and to the crank 19 are attached connecting links 23 and 24. These connecting links in turn are connected to the actuating mechanism of each figure, and as the figures are operated in the same manner, but one will be described.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it will be noted that figures A and B, each of which holds a paddle 25, are pivoted so as to move in parallel synchronization about their pivots. Inside of each figure is a umt comprising 2,948,08i Patented Aug. 9, 1960 spaced members 26 and 27. The member :26 is connected to a sleeve 29 loosely mounted upon the shaft 12, which sleeve has a downwardly extending arm 31 which has pivotal connection with the free end of the connecting link 23.

The member 27 is freely mounted on to the shaft 12, which shaft has a downwardly extending crank arm 32 which has pivotal connection with the free end of the connecting link 21.

The shaft 12 also has a crank arm 33 which is connected through the medium of a link 34 with a pivoted gear 36 which meshes with a gear 37 mounted upon a shaft 38, which shaft has attached to its opposite ends arms 39 and 41 of the figure, whereby rocking of the gear 38 will cause the arms to move hackwardly and forwardly, the hands attached to the arms having a paddle 25 grasped therein.

The result of this construction is that when the motor 16 is energized, motion transferred to the gear 14 will cause the cranks 18 and 19 to reciprocate the connecting links 21, 23, 22 and 24. This reciprocation will cause the rocking of shafts 12 and 13 and their attached parts. This rocking of the shafts 12 will in turn cause the crank arms 33 to rock the gears 36 and 37, and arms 39 and 41.

At the same time, the connecting links 23 and 24 will rock the arms 31 and the body-carrying members 26 and 27 about the shafts 12 and 13, as the case may be.

Resultantly the figures A and B will lean forward and backward and the arms will move with their paddles, assuming the positions taken by human paddlers.

The differential action between the body movement and the arm movement due to the rocking of the body about its pivotal point, in unison with the arm movement, will cause a very realistic paddling simulation.

The figure C is immobile and its paddle may be adjusted to cause the canoe to be steered in any desired direction. It is of course understood that the same mechanism could be attached to three or more figures, if so desired.

It will thus be seen that my invention accomplishes all of the objects above set forth. It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In an animated toy of the character described, a mobile body member having a hollow portion, a power unit positioned in said hollow portion, a pair of spaced shafts horizontally arranged in said unit, a figure pivotally mounted on each of said spaced shafts, pivoted arms carried by said figures, geared linkage connecting said pivoted arms and said shafts, a sleeve secured to each of said figures and rotatable on its respective shaft, means differentially rotating said sleeves independently of their shafts, and means simultaneously rocking said shafts, said'arms carried by said figures being movable by said shafts in a differential out of phase action relative to said figures to simulate paddling.

References Cited in the file of this: patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 564,961 Annin Aug. 4, 1896 1,112,954 Weir Oct. 6, 1914 1,433,886 Gordon Oct. 31, 1922 2,051,221 Noddings Aug. 18, 1936 

